Among those souls that are righteous, that are luminous entities and
Divine reflections, was Jinab-i-Muhammad-Taqi, the Afnan.(75) His title
was Vakilu'd-Dawlih. This eminent Bough was an offshoot of the Holy Tree;
in him an excellent character was allied to a noble lineage. His kinship
was a true kinship. He was among those souls who, after one reading of the
Book of Iqan, became believers, bewitched by the sweet savors of God,
rejoicing at the recital of His verses. His agitation was such that he
cried out, "Lord, Lord, here am I!" Joyously, he left Persia and hurried
away to 'Iraq. Because he was filled with longing love, he sped over the
mountains and across the desert wastes, not pausing to rest until he came
to Ba_gh_dad.
He entered the presence of Baha'u'llah, and achieved acceptance in His
sight. What holy ecstasy he had, what fervor, what detachment from the
world! It was beyond description. His blessed face was so comely, so
luminous that the friends in 'Iraq gave him a name: they called him "the
Afnan of all delights." He was truly a blessed soul, a man worthy to be
revered. He never failed in his duty, from the beginning of life till his
last breath. As his days began, he became enamored of the sweet savors of
God, and as they closed, he rendered a supreme service to the Cause of
God. His life was righteous, his speech agreeable, his deeds worthy. Never
did he fail in servitude, in devotion, and he would set about a major
undertaking with alacrity and joy. His life, his behavior, what he did,
what he left undone, his dealings with others--were all a way of teaching
the Faith, and served as an example, an admonishment to the rest.
After he had achieved the honor, in Ba_gh_dad, of meeting Baha'u'llah, he
returned to Persia, where he proceeded to teach the Faith with an eloquent
tongue. And this is how to teach: with an eloquent tongue, a ready pen, a
goodly character, pleasing words, and righteous ways and deeds. Even
enemies bore witness to his high-mindedness and his spiritual qualities,
and they would way: "There is none to compare with this man for his words
and acts, his righteousness, trustworthiness, and strong faith; in all
things he is unique; what a pity that he is a Baha'i!" That is: "What a
pity that he is not as we are, perverse, uncaring, committing sins,
engrossed in sensuality, the creatures of our passions!" Gracious God!
They saw with their own eyes that the moment he learned of the Faith he
was transformed, he was severed from the world, he began to emit rays from
the Sun of Truth; and still, they failed to profit by the example he set.
During his days in Yazd he was, outwardly, engaged in commercial pursuits,
but actually teaching the Faith. His only aim was to exalt the Word of
God, his only wish, to spread the Divine sweet savors, his only thought,
to come nearer and ever nearer to the mansions of the Lord. There was no
remembrance on his lips but the verses of God. He was an embodiment of the
good pleasure of Baha'u'llah; a dawning-point of the grace of the Greatest
Name. Many and many a time, Baha'u'llah expressed to those about Him, His
extreme satisfaction with the Afnan; and consequently, everyone was
certain that he would in future initiate some highly important task.
After the ascension of Baha'u'llah, the Afnan, loyal and staunch in the
Covenant, rendered even more services than he had before; this in spite of
many obstacles, and an overwhelming load of work, and an infinite variety
of matters all claiming his attention. He gave up his comfort, his
business, his properties, estates, lands, hastened away to I_sh_qabad and
set about building the Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar; this was a service of very
great magnitude, for he thus became the first individual to erect a Baha'i
House of Worship, the first builder of a House to unify man. With the
believers in I_sh_qabad assisting him, he succeeded in carrying off the
palm. For a long period in I_sh_qabad, he had no rest. Day and night, he
urged the believers on. Then they too exerted their efforts, and made
sacrifices above and beyond their power; and God's edifice arose, and word
of it spread throughout East and West. The Afnan expended everything he
possessed to rear this building, except for a trifling sum. This is the
way to make a sacrifice. This is what it means to be faithful.
Afterward he journeyed to the Holy Land, and there beside that place where
the chosen angels circle, in the shelter of the Shrine of the Bab, he
passed his days, holy and pure, supplicating and entreating the Lord.
God's praise was always on his lips, and he chanted prayers with both his
tongue and heart. He was wonderfully spiritual, strangely ashine. He is
one of those souls who, before ever the drumbeat of "Am I not your Lord?"
was sounded, drummed back: "Yea, verily Thou art!"(76) It was in the 'Iraq
period, during the years between the seventies and the eighties of the
Hijra, that he first caught fire and loved the Light of the World, beheld
the glory dawning in Baha'u'llah and witnessed the fulfillment of the
words, "I am He that liveth in the Abha Realm of Glory!"
The Afnan was an uncommonly happy man. Whenever I was saddened, I would
meet with him, and on the instant, joy would return again. Praise be to
God, at the last, close by the Shrine of the Bab, he hastened away in
light to the Abha Realm; but the loss of him deeply grieved 'Abdu'l-Baha.
His bright grave is in Haifa, beside the Haziratu'l-Quds, near Elijah's
Cave. A tomb must be erected there, and built solidly and well. May God
shed upon his resting-place rays from the Paradise of Splendors, and lave
that holy dust with the rains that beat down from the retreats of the
Exalted Companion. Upon him be the glory of the All-Glorious.
'ABDU'LLAH BAGHDADI
When he was very young, people thought of 'Abdu'llah Ba_gh_dadi as a
libertine, solely devoted to pleasure. He was regarded by all as the sport
of inordinate desires, mired down in his physical passions. But the moment
he became a believer, he was carried away by the sweet savors of God, and
was changed into a new creation. He found himself in a strange rapture,
completely transformed. He had been of the world, now he was of Heaven; he
had lived by the flesh, now he lived by the spirit; he had walked in
darkness; now he walked in light. He had been a slave to his senses, now
he was a thrall of God. He had been clay and earthenware before, now he
was a dear-bought pearl; a dull and lusterless stone before, now a ruby
glowing.
Even among the non-believers, people were astonished at the change. What
could have come over this youth, they wanted to know; how did it happen
that he was suddenly detached from the world, eager and devoted? "He was
tainted, corrupted," they said; "today he is abstemious and chaste. He was
sunk in his appetites, but is now the soul of purity, living a righteous
life. He has left the world behind him. He has broken up the feast,
dismissed the revelers, and folded the banquet cloth away. His mind is
distracted by love."
Briefly, he let go his pleasures and possessions, and journeyed to Akka on
foot. His face had turned so bright, his nature so luminous, that it was a
joy to look at him. I used to say: "Aqa 'Abdu'llah, what condition are you
in?" And he would answer to this effect: "I was in darkness; now, by the
favor of the Blessed Beauty, I am in light. I was a heap of dust; He
changed me to a fertile field. I was in constant torment; I am now at
peace. I was in love with my chains; He has broken them. I was avid for
this one and that; now I cling to the Lord. I was a bird in a cage; He let
me out. Today, though I live in the desert, and I have the bare ground for
my bed and pillow, it feels like silk. In the old time, my coverlet was
satin, and my soul was on the rack. Now I am homeless, and happy."
But his burning heart broke when he saw how victimized was Baha'u'llah,
how patiently He suffered. 'Abdu'llah yearned to die for Him. And thus it
came about that he offered up his life for his tender Companion, and
hastened away, out of this dark world to the country of light. His
luminous grave is in Akka. Upon him be the glory of the All-Glorious; upon
him be mercy, out of the grace of the Lord.